Crook

=Geoffrey Chaucer = =Renaissance Era = =Michael Crook Student, Cardinal Stritch University =

=**Overview:** =

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1340 and died 1400 and is widely remembered as the author of The Canterbury Tales. He's also been labeled the Father of English literature. Chaucer was crucial in developing of Middle English literature when the dominant languages were French and Latin.Chaucer was born in London, England in or around 1343. He was the son of a prosperous wine merchant along with his grandfather and deputy to the king's butler. Little is known of his early education, but his works show that he could read French, Latin, and Italian.

In 1359-1360 Chaucer went to France with Edward III's army during the Hundred Years' War and was captured in the Ardennes. He returned to England after the treaty of Brétigny in 1360. Between 1367 and 1378 Chaucer made several journeys abroad on diplomatic and commercial missions. In 1385 he moved to Kent where he was appointed as justice of the peace and also elected to Parliament.Chaucer took his narrative inspiration for his works from several sources but still remained an entirely individual poet, gradually developing his personal style and techniques. His first narrative poem, The Book of the Duchess, was probably written shortly after the death of Blanche in September 1369. The House of Fame was written between 1374 and 1385.

Chaucer did not begin working on The Canterbury Tales until he was in his late 30’s to early 40s. The book depicts a pilgrimage by more than 30 people, who are going on a spring day in April to the shrine of the martyr, St. Thomas Becket. On the way they amuse themselves by telling each other stories. Among the band of pilgrims are a knight, a monk, a prioress, a plowman, a miller, a merchant, a clerk, and an oft-widowed wife from Bath. The stories are interlinked with interludes in which the characters talk with each other, revealing much about each other. Unfortunately, the book was never finished, as Chaucer died before finishing it. Chaucer died in London on October 25, 1400 and buried in Westminster Abbey. This part of the church eventually became known as Poet's Corner and a monument was erected for him in 1555.

**Major Works:**
 * Roman de la Rose
 * The Book of the Duchess
 * The House of Fame
 * Anelida and Arcite
 * Parlement of Foules
 * Translation of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy as Boece
 * Troilus and Criseyde
 * The Legend of Good Women
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The Canterbury Tales
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Treatise on the Astrolabe

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Short Poems:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">An ABC
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Chaucers Wordes unto Adam, His Owne Scriveyn
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The Complaint unto Pity
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The Complaint of Mars
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The Complaint of Venus
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">A Complaint to His Lady
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The Former Age
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Fortune
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Gentilesse
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Lak of Stedfastnesse
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Lenvoy de Chaucer a Scogan
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Lenvoy de Chaucer a Bukton
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Proverbs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">To Rosemounde
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Truth
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Womanly Noblesse

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Two Relevant Monographs:** =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics). Penguin Group:Strand, London, 2003. Print.** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The importance of the Canterbury Tales in the history of English literature and the English language goes without saying. It is also a lot of fun to read, even in the original Middle English. The stories themselves range from bawdy adventures to religious sermons. Some of them will sound familiar, as they are taken from Greek myths and will appear again in the works of Shakespeare and others. Most are humorous, and Chaucer's talent as a poet begins to become apparent once you become somewhat comfortable with the language. The framing story is noteworthy as well. The pilgrims are a cross-section of medieval society. The tales they choose to tell, and the way they tell them, reflect their lives, their education, their interests, and their prejudices. To read their tales is to be immersed in the life of the middle ages.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Morgan, Philippa. Chaucer and the House of Fame. Carroll & Graf Publishers: New York, 2004. Print.** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">In 1370, Chaucer is sent on a mission by his lord during the Hundred Years War. A decade ago Chaucer was a hostage in war to the Comte and they had been on friendly terms, so it's hoped that relationship will aid England's cause. But agents have come to grief before on similar missions and Chaucer's trip is plagued with danger. Even after finally arriving at de Guyac's castle, disaster looms. De Guyac meets mortal danger during a boar hunt. At first it looks as if the boar had caused the wounds, but soon rumors abound regarding a human agent and Chaucer had seen some disturbing clues at the scene that this may indeed be the case. Chaucer is an average-looking fellow, growing a little paunchy with the approach of middle age, but has the keen observational eye and insight into human nature that a poet could also find essential.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Three Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Articles:** =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Burrow, John. "Chaucer as Petitioner: Three Poems." Chau****cer Review; 2011, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p349-356, 8p.** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The article focuses on the petitionary poems of English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. It explores the three poems of Chaucer such as the "The Complaint of Chaucer to His Purse," "Fortune," and "Lenvoy de Chaucer a Scogan" in which he complaints on the King's money that was waylaid and robbed from him. It also notes that the three poems of Chaucer are the most oblique and sophisticated examples of the petitionary verse in the medieval period.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Collette, Carolyn P. "Time, Measure, and Value in Chaucer's Art and Chaucer's World." Chaucer Review; 2009, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p347-350, 4p.** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> An essay is presented which focuses on the various aspects of the interrelated themes of time, measure and value. It discusses the growth of the mechanical clock and the significance of timekeeping. It also offers an overview of the poem entitled "Nun's Priest's Tale," by Geoffrey Chaucer. It mentions that the tale demonstrates Chaucer speculating about the relation of time to excess and restraint.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Wadiak, Walter. "Chaucer's Knight's Tale and the Politics of Distinction." Philological Quarterly; Spring 2010, Vol. 89 Issue 2/3, p159-184, 26p.** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">The article examines the engagement of English poet Geoffrey Chaucer with romance by looking at his treatment of adventure both the word and the idea in the "Knight's Tale." It argues that Chaucer made several changes to the story upon which he drew for the tale and that the collective impact of such changes is to distance the story from famous English romances. Chaucer's conspicuous refusal of popular adventure stories in the "Knight's Tale" is discussed. = = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Two Relevant Websites:** =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">1. []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">2. [] = = = = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">**Five Study Questions:** =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">1. Why is Geoffrey Chaucer called "The Father of English Poetry"?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">2. In 1357, Chaucer became a page at the court of which king?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">3. What is Chaucer's definition of the perfect man in The Canterbury Tales?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">4. How does Chaucer conceive of ancient history and belief systems in the Knight’s Tale?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">5. Is the Wife of Bath meant to contradict "woman-hating" ideas of her time, or to uphold them?

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">References: =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Durndell, H. (2001, July 15). The World of Chaucer. Retrieved from http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/chaucer/works.html

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Benson, L. (2004, September 21). The Life of Chaucer. Retrieved from http://courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/special/varia/life_of_Ch/ch-life.html/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">NeCastro, G. (2011, June 15). Chaucer Chronology. Retrieved from http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/chaucer/chronology/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Skeat, W. (1899). The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Retrieved from http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=883&Itemid=260